Second Newspaper Chain Joins Copyright Trolling Operation

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Wired

A Las Vegas company established to sue bloggers who clip news content is expanding its operations to a second newspaper chain.

Righthaven LLC has struck a deal with Arkansas-based WEHCO Media to expand its copyright litigation campaign, in which bloggers and aggregators across the country are being sued on allegations of infringement.

Until now, Righthaven CEO Steve Gibson’s sole announced client had been Nevada-based Stephens Media. Righthaven has issued more than 100 lawsuits since its spring inception on behalf of the Las Vegas Review Journal — Stephens’ flagship.

“I can tell you we also have near finalization for contracts with a substantial number of other publishers,” Gibson said in a telephone interview. He declined to divulge their names until Righthaven begins filing suits on their behalf.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has received “several dozen” inquiries from Righthaven defendants seeking legal representation, said Eva Galperin, the EFF’s referral coordinator.





Read more: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/copyright-troll-expanding/

---

Anyway, if you want a list of newspapers not to link to, WEHCO publishes the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (and the NW Arkansas Democrat-Gazette), the Benton County Daily Record, the California Democrat, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Fulton Sun, the News Tribune, the NW Arkansas Times, the Rogers Morning News, the Springdale Morning News, the Banner News, Camden News, El Dorado News-Times, the Texarkana Gazette and The Sentinel-Record. Apparently none of those papers want you alerting anyone to the news they publish.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100827/01493710790.shtml

[rug]

1. Is the term "douchebag" copyrighted?

[MindPilot]

12. Jezzuz! It's Bill Lumbergh incarnate!! n/t

[lob1]

2. Another legal way to steal money. Thanks, guys.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Does this mean those papers cannot quote anyone else either???

[Lint Head]

4. Easy. Never quote these SOB's. Their news business will die on the vine.

Quoting with a reference leads people to your news source. That's capitalism.
This will go to the Supremes. Fair Use its at play here.

[cascadiance]

5. I wonder if they'll help bloggers who have their work stolen by other publications too!

I've heard many reports of that over time too. It seems like we need to have a better definition of fair use and copyright laws to clarify the laws, and to make sure that enforcement is equal for everyone.

[No Elephants]

9. Enforcement will never be equal for everyone.

[Confusious]

6. I wish there were some sort of sanctions for this abuse of the courts

But lawyers will always defend lawyers, except when they are so wrong a monkey could see it.

Shaking down people for "small" amounts of money because going to court would be more expensive is organized crime sort of shit. It's low. That lawyer should be disbarred for it.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. That list includes all 5 newspapers

that serve my hometown area. Of course, these days they're all essentially the Democrat-Gazette.
Gone are the days when there were 4 independent daily newspapers in Northwest Arkansas, and the Arkansas Democrat had competition from the Arkansas Gazette, at one time the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi and a reliably Democratic newspaper.

[struggle4progress]

8. Bookmarking while I try to learn how to block my access to those websites

so I don't accidentally go to any of them

[No Elephants]

10. Will we better off without big newpapers? I honestly don't know.

In my neighborhood, a variety of very local papers with very few pages are available. However, my neighborhood has an unusual number of small businesses (restaurant heaven).

Buc what about national and international news? Leave it to broadcast media?

I feel as though AP and Reuters and Murdoch will soon be our only news sources besides celebrity "news." And the right will control everything. Soros, Buffet, Speilberg, Lucas, Springsteen--step up, PLEASE.

[Dulcinea]

11. How dumb is this?

You'd think newspapers, with all their financial problems, would welcome hits to their websites!

[hedgehog]

13. How dumb is this - papers are losing money because they are losing

readers; so what do they do? They cut back on the reporting staff meaning there is less and less new content in their product. Why should I pay for a newspaper that has nothing in it but the funnies and a day-old rehash of what I heard on the tv last night?

[Blue_Tires]

14. that was before this current crop of beancounter 'publishers' took over

this crowd is only concerned with how much short-term cash they can grab in the present before jumping ship...